Sheriff Paul Penzone breaks record for most votes in Maricopa County History
(MARICOPA COUNTY, ARIZ.) – With the latest ballot drop from Maricopa County Officials, Sheriff Paul Penzone earned a second term for Maricopa County Sheriff with an overwhelming bipartisan mandate from the voters. He is currently leading by 224,330 votes and broke the record for most votes in Maricopa County history with 1,024,421 votes so far. Sheriff Penzone received the most votes in Maricopa County in 2016 and is the only candidate in Maricopa County in the last two cycles to receive more votes than both presidential candidates.
“I am thankful to the voters of Maricopa County for giving me the honor and the privilege to serve another term as Sheriff. I am grateful to my supporters for believing in this campaign, and for all of the work they put in to get us to this moment. I am especially grateful to my family for their love and support. In this time of political divide, I want to stress that politics has no place in law enforcement. Whether or not you voted for me, I am the Sheriff of everyone in Maricopa County and will spend the next four years keeping you and your families safe,” said Sheriff Paul Penzone.
“The Sheriff won this race by building a diverse and bipartisan coalition of support across Maricopa County and across party lines with a unifying message of integrity, accountability, and putting public safety first,” said campaign manager Sophie O’Keefe-Zelman.
“I am also thankful to my supporters for putting public safety over politics. As Sheriff of Maricopa County, I have removed politics from law enforcement and focused on restoring the Office to an ethical, professional, and transparent organization. I have been committed to a foundation of integrity, with an unwavering focus on public safety. Under my leadership, we have made considerable strides in the federal court orders, we have reduced lawsuits and reckless costs to taxpayers while implementing innovative and effective enforcement tactics to target dangerous fugitives,” continued Sheriff Penzone.
“I support the best person for the job, regardless of party affiliation – and Sheriff Penzone is the best person for the job,” said Sharon Harper, co-chair of the Penzone for Sheriff campaign. “Sheriff Penzone took a damaged office and restored it to professional law enforcement. He puts the needs of the community before his own. The Sheriff’s Office is now an organization that serves and protects the people of Maricopa County rather than serve and protect the needs of the sheriff,” concluded Harper.
“The people of Maricopa County know that Sheriff Penzone has restored integrity to the Office of the Sheriff and to the MCSO. He has established professional, effective law enforcement and developed successful community partnerships while safeguarding taxpayer dollars,” said Lisa Urias, co-chair of the Penzone for Sheriff Campaign.
“The work is not yet done, but with all that has been accomplished the future is bright. I am honored and privileged to continue to serve the people of Maricopa County and lead the brave men and women of the MCSO for another term,” concluded Sheriff Penzone.
###
About Sheriff Paul Penzone
Since taking office in 2017, Sheriff Penzone has restored professional law enforcement to the Office of the Sheriff. Sheriff Penzone’s first term achievements include:
- Through sound fiscal management, he created a $20 million budget surplus savings his first year in office and came under budget each year of this term for a total savings of $40 million.
- Under his leadership, deputies seized over $50 million worth of illegal drugs including fentanyl, meth, heroin and cocaine.
- Established the Fugitive Apprehension Tactical Enforcement (FATE) team leading to the apprehension of over 600 dangerous felons in Maricopa County.
- Rebuilt the organizational reputation, focused on recruitment to dramatically reduce vacancies, filled critical positions and provided long overdue raises.
- Closed Tent City and reduced lawsuits each year in office to stop the unacceptable waste of taxpayer dollars.
- Established a successful drug recovery program to reduce drug abuse and recidivism among the jail population.
- Formed a partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide housing vouchers to youth aging out of the foster system to prevent homelessness.
- Founded a first of its kind school safety forum with national experts focused on methods to promote safety for children and educators in school environments.
- Partnered with the McCain Institute to better train detention officers on how to identify inmates coming into the MCSO jail system that have fallen victim to human and sex trafficking.
